Improved steering apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILIIIAM IV. HUSE, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEVD STEERING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 27,875, dated April 10, 1860.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. HUsE, of Brooklyn,in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Steering Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my apparatus, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section ot' the same.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the employment ot' one or more columns of water or other noncompressible liquid for the purpose of transmitting the mot-ion of the steering-wheel to the rudder; and it consists, also, in arranging the wheel on a screw-shaft connecting with a piston that moves in an air or water tight cylinder, the ends of which connect by suitable tubes with two barrels furnished with plun gers that connect with arms of the tiller extending at opposite sides from the rudderhead in such a manner that when said cylinder is filled with water or some other noncornpressible liquid the motion of the wheel in one direction or in the other is transmitted to the rudder, no matter how far the distance between the wheel and the rudder may be.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to the drawings.

A represents a portion of the deck of a vessel, to which a standard Bis rigidly attached, which forms the bearing for the hub of a steering-wheel C. This hub is provided with a neck a, iitting into a journal-box on the top of the standard, leaving` the wheel free to rotate in any direction wit-hout allowing to the same a motion in a longitudinal direction.

` The center of the hub is bored out and furnished with a screw-thread that tits on a screw-rod b, and this screw-rod connects with A apiston D, which is fitted water tight into a means of pipes e e', one with a barrel F and the other with a barrel F', said barrels being closed on those ends where they connect with the pipes e c and open at the opposite ends, as clearly shown in the, drawings. Each of the barrels is furnished with a plunger, and these plungers connect by means of rods ff with the two arms g g of the tiller, which extend in opposite directions from the rudderhead G.

The operation is as follows: The wheel C is turned until the piston D of the cylinder E comes to the center of said cylinder, and t-he apparatus is now lled with water or some other non-com pressible liquid. The pressure of the liquid being equal on both the plungers in the barrels F F', will bring the tiller in a transverse position at right angles to a line drawn in a longitudinal direction through the center of the vessel, throwing the rudder into a central position. If the wheel is now turned so as to move the piston D Vin the direction of arrow l the liquid contained in the front part of the cylinder will be forced through the pipe e into the barrel F, causing the plunger in said barrel to move in the direction of the arrow marked on the same, and the rudder will be turned in the direction of arrow 3. .By turning the wheel in the opposite direction the piston D is caused to move in the direction of arrow 2,

and the rudder is turned in the direction of arrow 1l. It is obvious that the distance between the rudder and the Wheel can thus be increased at pleasure without meeting with the disadvantages attending the usual connection between the wheel and rudder. The ropes and chains generally used for this purpose create much friction; more so, because the connection cannot be made in a straight line, and the contraction and expansion of the ropes through the agency of the changes in the atmosphere cause much trouble. When the weather is wet or the atmosphere is very damp, the .ropes shrink and they have to be slackened, and in dry weather' they stretch and the wheel does not operate correctly without tightening the same. Furthermore, any sea that may strike the rudder is felt by the helmsman, and in stormy weather it takes Vmuch power and constant attention to hold the vessel steady. With my arrangement, on the other hand, the power may be transmitted from the Wheel to the rudder, no matter how large the distance between the two, with equal facility, and the rudder will be held perfectly steady in any position Whatever and in the roughest sea, enabling one man to steer a vessel of the largest size with perfect ease.

By the aid of my apparatus a rudder placed in the bow of a vessel can be kept as steady as one placed in the stern, and by connecting two rudders, one in thebow and one in the stern, with the same wheel I am enabled to turn a Vessel on its own axis.

This apparatus is particularly applicablev and instantaneous action, recommends the same to every ship-owner.

Instead of using water or similar iuids, air might be employed; but in practice some liquid which resists pressure will be preferable.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The employment of one or more columns of Water or other liquid for the purpose of transmitting the motion of the steering-Wheel to the rudder, substantially in the manner described.

2. The'arrangement of the cylinder E and barrels F F', in combination with the tiller g g and Wheel C, constructed and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM IV. HUSE.

Witnesses:

' WM. THoMPsoN,

B. GIRoUX.

k-LA 

